


Self Improvement, or How to Impress Your Superior in 30 Days

by 792



Series: Writing Challenges [1]
Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-27
Updated: 2017-05-27
Packaged: 2018-10-29 14:53:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10856292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/792/pseuds/792





	Self Improvement, or How to Impress Your Superior in 30 Days

A bead of nervous sweat rolled down his forehead.  
_'This was supposed to be a simple task!' _He thought to himself, cursing his anxiety. But, to be fair, this still was a simple task. Take the tram from Iron Forge to Stormwind then deliver the message to Donyal Tovald and report back to Westfall. Just a few minutes earlier Rolph was sitting in an empty tram station minding his own business. He hadn't expected..__  
  
"Rolph? What are you doing here?"  
An all too familiar voice called out from the tram station's entrance. It was his mentor, close friend, and squad leader Ellenore Williams.  
"Elle?!" Rolph was caught off guard at her sudden reappearance. Ellenore had been gone for a week or so following the retreat of their defense unit against the invasion. Elle had taken some time off to visit the orphanage where she was raised, she visited every other month to help with chores and visit her old caretakers who she was always checking up on.  
Rolph admired her dedication to her friends and family, she had always been his strongest support. Anytime he was feeling scared she would be there to lift his spirits. Well, it wasn't that she focused solely on him, in most situations she was just doing her duty as squad leader and raising the moral of the whole team. Regardless, Rolph couldn't help but feel there was something between them. After sharing a bunk with her for a few months he found himself opening up to her. She was a great listener and helped him through everything from getting their superiors to hear out his tactical plans to staying up with him when he woke in a panic from nightmares. Even when it came to the small details, like his birthday, Ellenore was thoughtful enough to-  
  
"Hey! Are you alright?" Ellenore had been leaning down over him, staring with concern.  
"Y-yeah sorry..! I- uh, was sent to deliver this thing and.. well-" He was embarrassed to have been caught lost in thought and quickly directed his attention to the papers that were given to him by their superior.  
"So you're on an assignment?"  
Ellenore's eyes lit up at the sudden chance to help. Rolph nodded, handing her the documents without question.  
She read the memo quickly and smiled, "Ah, Mr. Tovald! A trip to visit the librarian is always fun!" Ellenore said it with the most sincerity and handed back the papers before continuing.  
"Though, to be honest, I didn't think they'd be sending you on courier duty."  
Rolph nervously chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, "Hahah yeah.. I suppose I had it coming though."  
"Why? Don't tell me you're still beating yourself up over what happened in Westfall.."  
Rolph stayed silent. Ellenore furrowed her brow and give him a stern look. "Like I've told you before, it's not your fault. They sent you in with an impossible task and you saved as many as you could! I mean, all of us are still suffering from the trauma of that last invasion and if you dwell on the past it.." She paused. Tough love was the kind of support that she knew well, although she'd found herself feeling an odd sense of guilt when using it on Rolph. Sighing,she gave him a sympathetic pat on his shoulder. "Uh, well, what I mean to say is it will only hinder your performance in battle." Elle gave him a smile, "We don't want another thing keeping you up at night, yeah? You need your rest!" He smiled back but could hear the noticeable shift in tone. He hadn't realized how much the invasion had hurt her too, the bags under her eyes indicating signs of all too familiar sleepless nights. How could he have been so selfish to place his own struggles over hers?  


  


An air of awkwardness hung around them until the tram came barreling down the tunnel. The station started to rumble, chairs around them rattled and trash cans tilted as the bulky carts came to a screeching halt. They boarded the same cart and Ellenore leaned cooly against the railing while Rolph nervously clung on. It only took seconds until the cart made another awful noise and bolted forward, sending the two zooming towards Stormwind. Rolph hadn't ever took the tram, preferring to fly between long routes with his own set of wings rather than be stuck in a hot, dark underground passage. The tram took a sudden dive down and before he could let out a scream Elle spoke up.  
"So, is this your first time through here?"  
"Yeah!" Rolph's voice cracked, "..Is it that obvious?"  
Elle smiled and shook her head, "Nope, I was just curious."  
A kind-hearted lie, he was sure.  
"..But if that's the case, I'd imagine you've never seen the aquarium here, right?"  
"There's an aquarium.. under Stormwind?"  
"Well it's not exactly under Stormwind, but yeah! It's really beautiful, I've only seen it once with-- Oh! Here it is!"  
Ellenore's face lit up and suddenly the darkness around them was illuminated in a bright blue glow. It was like going through a portal, everything looked so ethereal and peaceful. Fish decorated the walls, hundreds swam in schools while a few various, larger ones swam alone. Huge sharks loomed overhead and the colorful seaweed danced along the sea bottom. Rolph's jaw dropped in awe, his eyes grew wide and Ellenore leaned over the railing to get a better look.  
"It's-"  
"Amazing!" Rolph shouted, smiling ear to ear. "I've never seen so many fish before !"  
Rolph's was intrigued enough to lean forward too, his stomach pressed against the railing as he pointed to the left.  
"WOAH! Is that.. a shark..!? Oh, look! There's a string ray!"  
Ellenore giggled at his enthusiasm, "Yeah! Hard to find a better sight than this." She sighed dreamly and rolled her head onto Rolph's shoulder. His cheeks lit up red instantly and he was sure she could hear his heart beating a mile a minute. Rolph couldn't help but give her a small glance out of the corner of his eye. The sight of her smile made him forget all the anxiety he had been feeling earlier.  
  
_"Perhaps.. I should take the tram more often.."_


End file.
